The garment industry has been hit by an unprecedented crisis, resulting most notably from the cancellation of orders by major brands and retailers. Many workers in supply chains have lost work as a consequence, which is a particularly major blow for those in countries where social protection systems are either poorly developed or non-existent. The issues endured by this sector, which is highly globalised and on which millions of jobs and sometimes national economies depend, have very quickly drawn attention to the social responsibility of companies making orders. Several such firms have embarked on cooperative ventures with a view to mitigating the impact of the pandemic on these workers. In keeping with such initiatives, IndustriAll Global – the international industry trade union federation – and the UK online fashion retailer ASOS announced on 23 February that they have signed a joint statement renewing their commitment to work together, alongside relevant global and national stakeholders, to support the economic and social recovery of the global garment industry through the Covid-19 crisis.
The statement, published on IndustriAll Global’s website, underlines that cooperation between different actors, including companies and trade unions, has grown in the global garment industry since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Do you have information to share with us?